Soldiers with the 2nd Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment landed on Oct. 30 at Osan Air Base, about 40 miles south of Seoul after being involved in ‘events in June.’
A U.S. Patriot missile battalion that may have taken part in one of the largest air defense battles in American military history has returned to South Korea after a six-month deployment to the Middle East.
Soldiers with the 2nd Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment landed on Oct. 30 at Osan Air Base, about 40 miles south of Seoul, according to a Nov. 5 news release from U.S. Forces Korea. The statement did not specify the battalion’s mission and USFK spokesman David Kim said Thursday he could not provide further details.
However, the deployment’s timing and language in the release suggest the unit participated in missile defense operations at a U.S. military base in Qatar. The unit was involved in “events in June” that tested its soldiers and leaders, “and they learned how to win in the most consequential situations,” battalion commander Lt. Col. Ashley Hahn said in the release. “They’ll bring those lessons back to enhance combat capability and readiness on the peninsula,” he said.
The battalion, part of the 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, departed South Korea in March on short-notice orders for U.S. Central Command, according to the release.
The deployment coincided with a U.S. military buildup following attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and before a June 22 strike by Air Force B-2 bombers on Iranian sites at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.
Soon after that attack, Patriot air-defense crews reportedly intercepted a barrage of Iranian missiles targeting Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, home to Central Command’s forward headquarters. U.S. commanders ordered an evacuation ahead of the assault, but 44 soldiers remained to defend the base.
Patriot crews from South Korea and Japan were among those dispatched to reinforce air defenses, Stars and Stripes reported at the time. As scores of missiles approached, the crews fired interceptors, preventing direct hits on the base. Only debris from the incoming attack came through the defensive fire, Joint Chiefs Chairman Air Force Gen. Dan Caine told reporters at the Pentagon on June 26.
The missile attack caused no casualties, he said. “We believe that this is the largest single Patriot engagement in U.S. military history,” Caine said.
In South Korea, the battalion’s mission includes defending against North Korean surveillance, aerial and missile threats, according to USFK.
“I personally only had about three weeks in Korea before deploying, but I know that being mission ready to ‘Fight Tonight’ ensured the battalion was prepared to execute any mission, anywhere, with minimal notice,” Hahn said. X
The unit trains rigorously, day and night, for the moment they are called upon, Staff Sgt. Samuel Komolafenath of 2nd Battalion said in the release.
“This deployment provided a great opportunity to engage in real-world operations and gain experience that demanded constant focus and discipline,” he said.
- Security